In professional music concert settings, drummers are typically situated in a sitting position in the back of the music group while other performers, usually the featured performers, are placed in front in a standing position. The drummer's position distanced from the audience limits visibility of the drummer, thereby hindering the audience's experience and limiting the drummer's ability to engage with his or her audience.
This problem is typically solved by placing the drummer on a dedicated riser, normally 6 to 24 inches in height. Such dedicated risers work well for large shows on large stages, but are not feasible to use in smaller settings or on small stages. Dedicated risers in smaller settings increase the footprint of the drum set in a setting in which stage space is limited. Furthermore, drum risers are large and heavy requiring large vehicles, extra personal, and extra time to deploy and recover. Due to these limitations, use of a dedicated riser is insurmountable for smaller venues. As a result, drummers are resigned to setting the drum set up directly at the stage level. In addition, cables for microphones and other audio and lighting equipment are typically routed to the back area of the stage, directly past the drummer. Routing cables under a large drum riser is time consuming and often results in equipment damage as cables may tangle underneath the riser making recovery especially difficult.
Accordingly, there is an unmet need in the art for a smaller, portable riser that elevates both the drum set and the drum player while overcoming the limitations of size, weight and time requirements for dedicated risers, and which enhances, rather than detracts from, the experience of the concert performance.